Health Consumer

Nutrition - Page 2

What to eat, what to skip, and what the research actually says.

From 5-HTP to melatonin: how your body builds its own night signal

Your brain builds its own night signal every evening. 5-HTP is the middle link in that assembly line, and vitamin B6 is the tool that puts it to work.

2 min read

Illustration of a blank cream tube, scattered black peppercorns and a whole nutmeg beside a folded towel

Black pepper and nutmeg: how a joint cream gets past your skin

Skin is designed to keep things out, which is a problem for any cream. Two kitchen spices turn out to be very good at opening the door.

2 min read

Illustration of a peppermint sprig with frost crystals forming on its leaves in a warm lamp-lit room

Peppermint and a Nobel Prize: why cooling creams feel cool

Mint feels cold because it switches on the skin's own cold sensor, a discovery honoured by the 2021 Nobel Prize. It is also why cooling creams cool.

2 min read